Councilor calls for probe of budget losses

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor urged the city administration on Tuesday to investigate losses that could amount to more than Rp 2 billion (US$266,666) for the first eight months of this fiscal year from the funds allocated for the maintenance of official vehicles.

M. Asyraf Ali, a member of the Golkar faction, said the huge losses from the department's routine expenditure budget were caused by a 75 percent discrepancy between the recorded number of vehicles and the number budgeted for.

Asyraf said that such a practice was ridiculous because the city was under pressure to cut all expenditure, especially on account of the crisis.

"The administration should investigate this as soon as possible because this kind of corruption has wasted the budget," he said.

According to data from the city supplies office, the number of city administration official vehicles is 3,873, consisting of 1.791 four-wheeled vehicles and 2,082 motorcycles. These figures were compiled from vehicle ownership documents.

In the 1998/1999 city budget, however, routine expenditure for the official vehicles' maintenance is projected to be Rp 4.82 billion for 6,797 vehicles -- 3,582 four-wheeled vehicles and 3,215 motorcycles.

Based on Gubernatorial Decree No. 198/1998 on the guidelines for the allocation of official vehicles' fuel, motorcycles are allocated five liters a day, sedans and vans eight liters, small trucks 25 liters and large trucks 40 to 55 liters.

For maintenance small motorcycle are allocated of Rp 12,500 a month, while the budgets for larger and Harley Davidson motorcycles are Rp 24,500 and Rp 86,850 respectively.

For the maintenance of sedans and vans, the city allocates Rp 40,750 a month, Rp 67,450 for a small truck and Rp 148,000 for a big truck.

The money allocated for the "extra" vehicles between April and November totals more than Rp 2 billion.

Fauzi Alvi Yasin, the administrative assistant to the city secretary, admitted on Tuesday that there was a difference in the number of vehicles in the records and in the budget.

"We are now trying to put the matter in order," he said.

But he refused to say that the difference had resulted in financial losses. "It is not a loss of money, but only unrecorded city assets. That's why we will soon compile data on the vehicles," he said.

Fauzi said that the difference might have occurred because the correct total number of vehicles had not been recorded by the supplies office.

Asked whether the additional vehicles no longer belonged to the city but were still included in the budget, Fauzi said: "We are still investigating. So far all the budget's allocations are based on proposals from the (relevant) city units."

However, Asyraf said the fact that the budget allocation for vehicle maintenance was much larger than what was needed proved there were losses.

He urged the governor to take punitive action if it is found that city officials manipulated the data for their own benefit. (ind)